Edmonton Shoe repair store owner, Ryan Vale turned 19-year old Sarii Ghalab away from his store twice last week. He stated that his reason for doing so was due to his store’s “no-veil policy”, that according to him does not discriminate against Muslim women, but would be enforced against anyone who comes in his store with their face covered. However, Calgary lawyer Frank Molnar says that this argument is unlikely to stand as a legitimate reason for denying someone service if Ghalab were to file a complaint through Alberta’s Human Rights Commission. In particular, Molnar points to section 4 of the Alberta Human Rights Act which prohibits anyone from denying goods, services, accommodation or facilities available to the public based on numerous protected grounds, including race, skin colour, religious beliefs and disability.

CBC